How last season went: The SEABL Women’s team had a disappointing season last year. They only managed to register five wins and finished second last in the South division.

Coach: Simon Giovannoni. This is Coach Giovannoni’s first season as head coach of the SEABL Women’s team. Last year, Giovannoni was an assistant coach for our SEABL Men’s team.

Season Opener: 25th of March 5.30 p.m. vs. Canberra @ Canberra

Strengths: Coach Giovannoni believes this team’s biggest strengths are its size and perimeter scoring. Jess Bygate brings toughness and physicality and Carley Chatfield has a nice touch around the basket. Jasmine Gill and Brittany Smart are two excellent athletes and scorers.

What to expect: Coach Giovannoni stressed that he wants his side to play smart this season. He wants all of his players to understand each other’s strengths as well as the other team’s weaknesses and exploit them.

Preseason form: The SEABL women have played three preseason matches. They lost to Kilsyth by 2, lost to Ringwood by 15 and defeated Mckinnon by 5. The results aren’t spectacular but they have been playing with depleted squads due to injuries and WNBL/overseas commitments.

Who to look out for: Coach Giovannoni has been impressed with how some of the younger players have looked during the preseason. Ella Batish, Kate Hore, Morgan Riley and Katie Bugden have all had great starts to the year.